What do the LA protests against the Trump administration mean for New York City?

As protests over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement escalate in Los Angeles, some New Yorkers are asking whether the same thing could happen here.

On Sunday, Trump deployed California's National Guard against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom after three days of protests and unrest linked to federal immigration raids. Although the New York Times reported that many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, in pockets of Los Angeles and neighboring communities protesters burned cars and hurled rocks and other objects at law enforcement officers. The Times reported that the National Guard has refrained from engaging with demonstrators, but federal immigration and homeland security officers have responded by firing nonlethal bullets and tear gas at demonstrators.

Gothamist spoke to political and law enforcement experts about the potential for tensions to expand beyond Los Angeles.

What’s happening in California?

Last week, after reports that immigration authorities raided Los Angeles-area workplaces — a sharp escalation in Trump’s immigration crackdown — protesters started clashing with local and federal law enforcement.

On Saturday, confrontations between protesters and law enforcement escalated in Los Angeles, as well as in nearby cities Compton and Paramount. The streets around a Home Depot department store in Paramount became a flashpoint as protesters threw debris at law enforcement vehicles. On Sunday, Trump deployed troops from the state’s National Guard, a branch of the military that answers to both state governors and the president. Trump deployed the Guard over Newsom's objections, the first time a president has done so since 1965. Newsom called the move illegal, and on Monday the state sued the Trump administration.

Does this affect protests in New York?

A number of demonstrations against immigration enforcement are expected across the city for this week. Some are planned near federal courthouses where agents have been taking people into custody after they showed up for routine immigration appearances. On Monday night, both protesters and NYPD officers were gathered outside the federal building at 26 Federal Plaza.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the nonprofit New York Immigration Coalition, said Trump's decision to mobilize the National Guard in Los Angeles wouldn't deter him or other activists.

“ They're trying to test the limits of their power," Awawdeh said. "It's easy to stand in your fear, but you have to step up and be bold and be courageous in this moment because the further that they're able to get away with, the more that they're going to continue to do these horrendous attacks on our communities."

How are NYPD and other law enforcement agencies preparing?

Monday evening, Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to say they plan to uphold the rights of protesters while maintaining order in the city. Tisch said she has been coordinating with her partners in the federal government.

“The message I conveyed to them is the same that I am conveying to you now. At the New York City Police Department, we know how to police protests in a manner that maintains public safety and upholds the law.” She said if there is civil unrest in the city “the full resources of the New York City Police Department are available and prepared to respond.”

But Jeff Cortese, a former longtime FBI agent and U.S. Capitol Police officer, said coordination between agencies is key.

“I think it would be silly for law enforcement to pretend or assume that this couldn’t happen in New York City or any other city at this point,” Cortese said.

“They’ll be coordinating with the different agencies and then sharing strategy, sharing intelligence, establishing protocols for when different agencies might get involved,” he said. “Law enforcement’s number one priority is going to be: Keep the people in that community safe. And so there's no doubt that they're working right now to plan appropriately to ensure that they can do that.”

How is New York different from LA?

New York, like Los Angeles, is a big city run by Democrats. A federal crackdown on protests in either place could benefit Republicans in local races, political experts said.

But there are also key differences between the two cities, they said. So far, protests in New York have been smaller in scale than those in Los Angeles. One reason may be that New York is on the brink of a mayoral election. That may have some political activists more focused on the ballot box than hitting the streets, said Evan Roth Smith, a political analyst, pollster and co-founder of Slingshot Strategies.

Roth Smith said the election has become an outlet for people’s political frustration. It’s “largely become a vehicle for people who would otherwise struggle to find a way to express their outrage and their discontent with what’s happening nationally,” he said.

Arya Sundaram contributed to this report.